Telling Our Stories to Policymakers

A member of My Life My Choice, Kathy Moran, recently made headlines when she confronted Theresa May over cuts to her benefits.

She said: “Do you know what I want? I want my Disability Living Allowance to come back. Not have PIPs and get nothing… the fat cats keep the money and us lot get nothing.”

The fact that the story was shared so widely highlights the importance of people telling their stories.

It’s easy to ignore facts and figures. It’s less easy to ignore a person, visibly upset, pointing out that they “can’t live on £100 a month.”

Of course, nobody can live on £100 a month. Of course, politician’s attempts at “balancing the budget” has a real impact on people’s lives.

Hearing the stories of people with learning disabilities brings their struggles to life, and helps the public and policymakers sit up and take notice.

That’s why My Life My Choice works hard to support people with a learning disability to stand up and have their voice heard.

It’s not every day that one of them will spot the Prime Minister in their local market, and have the opportunity to tell their story in front of national TV cameras.

But by helping each other to speak up about our lives, we can chip away at the prejudice and injustices, and show that we are people who deserve a life just like everybody else.

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My Life My Choice

MLMC is an Oxfordshire based charity with a national profile whose prime objective is to raise the self-esteem and quality of life for people with learning disabilities. They do this by campaigning, and providing volunteering, training, employment and social opportunities for its members. MLMC also work with other organisations to help produce information for people with learning and communication difficulties that is simple and easy to understand. Read more

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